Means for winding natural silk threads on bobbins



Dec. s, 1936. w. wlLKE f 2,063,282

MEANS FOR WINDING NATURAL SILK THREADS ON BOBBINS l Filed March 19, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 8, 1936 MEANS FOR WINDING NATURAL SILK THREADS N BOBBINS Wilhelm Wilke, Hanover, Germany, assigner to Seidenwerk Spinnhuttc Aktiengesellschaft,

Hanover, Germany, a German company Application Maron 19,1936, serial No. 69,674,

' In Germany April 16, 1934,

Claims.

The invention relates to a method of unwinding silk threads from silk-worm cocoons and Winding these threads on bobbins and to means for the perfomance of the said method.

In the manufacture of raw silk as customarily practiced, after the cocoons have been duly softened in boiling pans, the threads are u'nwound from the cocoons by aid of a spinning machine and th'en wouhd on a swift or reel. With this method the threads are unwound intermittently and are liable to breakage; moreover, since they pass to the swift or reel in wet condition, they tend to adhere to one another.

The step of drying the threads between the but only obviates in` part the drawbacks indicated. Besides, the operation of winding the skeins on a swift, withdrawing the same fromthe swift and winding them on a bobbin occupies much time, increasingthe cost of manufacture; it also hasA an unfavourable eiect on the quality of the threads.

In einsting installations it is further a detrimental feature .that the boiling and spinning tables as well as the winding devices are placed in one and the samev compartment. The humidity developed by boiling in part nulliilesthe effect of the 'drying devices, so that notwithstanding the useoi' drying devices the threads tend to adhere together.

- Y For the purpose of obviating the above drawbacks, in the method according to the invention the threads unwound from the cocoons, which have been softened in the usual manner, are conducted through a drying 'conduit through which hot air flows counter tothe direction of travel of the threads, and are wound on bobbins directly after drying.

' In this way there are eliminated operations liable to increasev the cost of production and to interfere with the good quality of the work, such as would otherwise result from the use of swifts or reels. The thread wound directly on the bobbins is a high-grade product and is thoroughly dried 1 and ready for subsequent use.

The invention also provides a lay-out in which separate compartments are provided for the spinning frames and for the winding devices, and which incorporate suitable sealing means adapted to prevent the threads passing through the drying conduits from taking up any moisture when in their passage from the spinning compartment to the winding compartment. Y

There are thereby established more satisfactory spinning and winding operationsis already known,

' nect'ed to a main steam pipe 9.

working conditions. particularly in the'winding compartment, e. g., as to the humidityofthe air.' while the space available is better utilized and the Work is better distributed. s

Other features` of the invention will appear from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings in which there is illustrated by way of example the lay-out of an installation for performance of the present method.

Fig. 1 is a cross section through a workroom with the various machines therein;

Fi'g.' 2 is a top plan view;

Fig. 3 is a front viewv to a larger scale of a spinning frame with the associated winder;

Fig. 4 shows in perspective a part of the 'drying conduit, the bottom ap being open;

Fig. 5 isa longitudinal section through the drying conduit, and

Fig. 6 is an end view of the drying conduit with the bottom flap closed. y

By four partitions l running lengthwise of the work-room containing the various machines the work-room is divided into 've compartments, The boiling tables orpans 3 are installed in theI two outer compartments 2, 2'. In the two intermediate Acompartments 4, l' adjacent thereto the spinning frames 5 are iitted. The central compaitment 6 accommodates the4 winders 1. K

As is clear from Fig. v2, the boiling pans 3 and the spinning frames 5, as well as the winders 1 (not shown in Fig. 2) are arranged in groups spaced lengthwise of the Work-room, the arrangement being such that with each spinning frame 5 disposed in either of the compartments l, 4' there are associated two boiling pans 3 in the compartments 2 and 2 respectively.

The boiling pans 3 are heated by means of steam which is fed to the pans by piping 8 con- The cocoons preliminary treated in the boiling pans 3 are transferred by the operators working in the compartments 2 and 2', through openings arranged in the walls I and closed by drop doors Ill, to the operators Working in the compartments 4, 4' at the spinning frames 5. A

Naturally, there may be provided means for conveying the cocoons mechanically from the compartments 2 and 2', respectively, to the compartments 4, 4 housing the spinning frames 5, so that Amoisture and vapor are prevented from penetrating from one compartment into another compartment.

To this endA suitably enclosed conveyor belts may be used.

The spinning frames 5 are equipped with the well-known devices illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 3 for preventing knotting and looping. They are further provided with the usual leases in.order that the several threads, while being unwound from the cocoons, may be brought 'together and smoothed.

The threads I2 unwound from the cocoons in the spinning compartment 5 vare led into drying conduits I3. Each drying conduit, as shown ih the embodiment illustrated, is of rectangular cross section and comprises three walls I4, I5, I8 rigidly connected to one another, and a bottom flap 24 hinged to the side wall I5.

The supply and discharge pipes I8 and I1 for the drying medium, for kinstance hot air, register with openings in the wall I4. The drying medium traverses the drying conduit in the direction opposed to that of the travel of the thread (see the arrows in Fig. 5).

As shown in Fig. 5, thread guides are yfitted in the two end walls I9 rand 25 of the drying conduit, said thread guides comprising bushes 2I` The two end walls la, u together with the bt- .tom wall or iiap 24 form a unit which is connected to the wall I8 of the'drying conduit by hinges 25. As is clear from Fig. 4, each end wall I3 or 20 is provided with a narrow diagonal slot 25 extending to the edge thereof and rounded 0E at its outer end to avoid sharp corners. The slot 23 registers with a corresponding slot 21 in the bush 2| and disc 22 intersecting the aperture 23, so as to afford a passage for the thread.

As will be seen, the thread I2 can be readily inserted in the aperture 23 from the side through the guide slots 25 and 21 when the bottom` wall or flap 24 and the two end walls I3, 20 occupy the positions' shown in Fig. 4. The thread having 40 been so inserted, the bottom wall or iiap 24 is -lifted, whereupon the end walls I8 and 20 engage spring catches 28, or are kept immovable by any 45 ends of the drying conduit I3 are partly closed by plates 29 slightly sunk into the ends of the three walls I4, I5, I5 so that flush bearing surfaces are presented to the end walls I3 and 20. The oblique lower edges of the plates 28 extend into close proximity to` the thread-guiding apertures 23.

The described construction of the 'drying conduit I3 not only ensures perfect tightness in all directions, which excludes any appreciableloss of heat, but also renders practicable the producl 55 tion of the drying conduits at relatively low cost.

vThe drying conduits I3 described are also arranged in groups, viz.,fin such wise that from each spinning frame 5 sixteen drying conduits I3 lead y or the thread l2.

enter the manifolds 32 and 32 respectively, Awhich latter are served by fans 33 and 33. As appears from Fig. 1, after having 'passed through the drying conduits, the hot air is discharged through the pipes 34 and 34 into the atmosphere.

Obviously it would also be possible to arrange that the hot air leaving the drying conduits will return in a closed cycle to heating devices and be fed again to the drying conduits.

In the embodiment shown the heating devices consist of heaters 35 and 35', respectively, which, as shown in Fig. 1, are connected to the main steam pipe 8 and are placed in housings 35, 38' to which fresh air is supplied through the inlet connections'31, 31'. The other ends of these housings are connected to pipes 38 and 38', respectively, leading to the manifolds 3l, 3 I e As shown'in Fig. 3, the thread leaving the conduit I3 in a perfectly dry condition passes through an aperture 38 in the wall I directly to the Winder 1. The passage of the thread through the wall I is eiected in`A such wise that humidity is notallowed to penetrate from the spinning compartment 4 into the winding compartment 5. 4

It will be seen from Fig. 1 that the`winders 1` in the compartment 8 are also arranged in groups, the several winders of each group being mounted on a `common frame. These frames are' placed side by side. In front of one row of bobbins in the compartment 5 there is placed another row of bobbins at a small distance from the rst. 'I'his arrangement results in satisfactory utilization of the floor space and in simplified operation, since the operator is able to work in the compartment 8 on either side and is afforded a good survey overlthe whole equipment.

The thread wound on the bobbins is of excellent quality. As the moisture has .been thoroughly removed from it, and it has not had anyV opportunity 'of subsequently absorbing moisture, the thread'is ready for further treatment.

The. particular arrangement in groups of thel machines finally permits increase of the production combined with reduction ofthe cost` of production. y

1. An installation for winding natural silk threads on bobbins comprising spinning devices for unwlnding the threads from cocoons, a spinning compartment 'housing said spinning devices, winding devices forA winding the threads on bobbins, a separate compartment housing said winding devices, drying conduits through which the threads are led from said spinning compartment to said winding compartment, and means for passing hot air through said conduits in the @ziirection opposite to the direction of travel of the threads. e

2. An installation as claimed in claim 1, in

which a plurality of drying conduits are led from` each group of spinning devices to the windingy compartment. I

\3. An installation as claimed in claim 1,.i`n

which a boiling compartment is disposed adjacent to the spinning compartment, and means are provided for conveyingthevcocoons from said boiling compartment to` the spinning compartment. f

4.1m installation as claimed in cmmr-in' which the spinningcompartment) is vinterposed between the winding vcompartment and a boiling compartment housing boiling tables arranged in ya-.row transverse tothe direction-of travelofl 75 finally leaves the same through the pipes I1 to the thread.

5. An installation as claimed in claim 1 in which there are housed in the winding compartment 'two rows of winding devices, said winding compartment being partitioned from two spinning compartments one on each side of said winding compartment.

6. A drying conduit for air for drying natural silk thread passing from a spinning device to a Winder, said conduit having an opening extending its entire length, and closure means for said opening, said closure means includingend walls for said conduit, each end wall provided with an aperture for the passage of the thread and with a slot permitting the introduction of the thread laterally into the aperture.

'7. A drying conduit as claimed in claim 6, in

which the closure means consists in a flap hinged to one wall of the conduit.

8. A drying conduit as claimed in claim 6, in which the end walls are carried by and disposed at right angles to a flap hinged to one side wall of the conduit.

9. A drying conduit as claimed in claim 6, incorporating plates adapted 'partly to close the -slots in the operative position of the end walls.

WILHELMWILKE. 

